UFC BJJ
UFC In 2025 | The Arrival Of UFC BJJ
We Take A Look Back At The First Year Of UFC BJJ, As Submission Grappling Was Elevated To A New Level In 2025
While the UFC continued to dominate the world of combat sport in 2025, the organization opened the door to a new era with the introduction of UFC BJJ.
The groundwork began with the launch of a new The Ultimate Fighter-style reality series, UFC BJJ: Road To The Title, which introduced the world to the world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UFC-style – and the athletes would be among the first to compete under the UFC BJJ banner.
The dawning of a new era
Teams of lightweight and welterweight competitors went head to head under the leadership of elite bantamweight grapplers Mikey Musumeci and Rerrison Gabriel, as we were introduced to UFC BJJ's new competition area.
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Gone was the familiar elevated mat of the UFC Fight Pass Invitationals, with the introduction of the Bowl, a mat with graduated, curved walls that allow the action to continue without the athletes spilling over the edge of the mat.
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The new environment proved a hit with the athletes, who produced a string of entertaining matches during UFC BJJ: Road To The Title. After eight fascinating episodes that highlighted the different characters and competing styles of the athletes, two contenders remained in each weight class: Andrew Tackett and Andy Varela at welterweight, and Carlos Henrique and Danilo Moreira at lightweight.
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Those pairings, plus the meeting between coaches Musumeci and Gabriel, would form the inaugural UFC BJJ title matches for UFC BJJ 1.
UFC BJJ 1: The first champions are crowned
The inuagural UFC BJJ event saw the Octagon replaced by the Bowl on June 25, as three new champions were crowned to get UFC BJJ off to a flying start at the UFC APEX during UFC International Fight Week in June.
Brazil's Carlos Henrique went into the history books as the first athlete to capture a UFC BJJ championship belt as he submitted Danilo Moreira via third-round armbar to capture the lightweight crown.
He was swiftly followed by Andrew Tackett, who needed less than a round to submit the aggressive Andy Varela by rear-naked choke and capture the welterweight strap.
With the lightweight and welterweight tournaments officially complete, the stage was set for the two rival coaches to go head to head, with the inaugural bantamweight title on the line. Musumeci took charge early and kept Gabriel on the back foot throughout the first two rounds.
Gabriel came out aggressively at the start of the final frame and swept Musumeci to the canvas, but it was "Darth Rigatoni" who took advantage, as Musumeci locked up a heel hook to force the tap.
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It meant that the night ended with Henrique, Tackett, and Musumeci holding the first UFC BJJ championships, as a new era for submission grappling got underway in Las Vegas.
The event also saw the UFC BJJ debut of Bella Mir. The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir had already impressed on UFC Fight Pass in her grappling debut at CFFC's Fury Pro Grappling 12 event in December 2024, and at UFC BJJ 1, Mir's second-round D'Arce choke finish of Carol Joia suggested it might not be too long before she's sharing the Bowl with the very best in the world at 145 pounds.
UFC BJJ 2: The new face of the sport retains his title
A little over a month later, the Bowl returned to the UFC APEX for UFC BJJ 2, as returning champion Tackett registered the first defense of his title on July 31.
Tackett had already shone under the UFC's spotlight in both UFC BJJ: Road To The Title, then UFC BJJ 1 as he won his way through the welterweight tournament to eventually capture the inaugural 170-pound crown. And matched with the exciting Renato Canuto in his first UFC BJJ main event, Tackett lived up to his star billing once again.
In a fast-paced matchup, the Syndicate MMA man eventually claimed a first-round finish via D'Arce choke before issuing an open challenge to the world's best at 170 pounds. It was a star-making display, both in the Bowl and on the mic.
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Joining Tackett in the annals of UFC BJJ champions was Mason Fowler, as the veteran grappler finished David Garmo via first-round rear-naked choke to capture the inaugural light heavyweight strap. The title he'd just won may have been new, but after winning it, Fowler explained how his title win was the culmination of a long career's work on the mats around the world.
The event also saw impressive victories for Las Vegas's own Raquel Canuto and French Guiana's Aurelie Le Vern, as the pair set the stage for a featherweight title match later in the year.
UFC BJJ 3: Champions retain in Vegas
The third UFC BJJ event saw two of the organization's inaugural champions make successful defenses of their titles as Musumeci and Henrique both retained their belts at the UFC APEX.
Musumeci closed the show in style as he used his signature move, the "Mikey Lock", to submit Keven Carrasco in the first round to retain his bantamweight crown.
Henrique, meanwhile, had to battle to the scorecards in a hard-fought match with Matheus Gabriel that saw "CH7" retain his title after getting the nod from the three judges.
The night also saw victories for welterweight contenders Andy Varela and Andy Murasaki, with the latter calling out the former for a matchup in 2026.
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Both men claimed their wins inside the distance – Varela by second-round rear-naked choke, and Murasaki via third-round Kimura – as they both positioned themselves for a possible title challenge in 2026. Varela lost out to current champ Andrew Tackett back at UFC BJJ 1 and is chasing revenge, while Murasaki wants to earn his shot by getting past the former title challenger to leave no doubt over his championship credentials.
UFC BJJ 4: Europe gets its first UFC BJJ champion
The fourth and final UFC BJJ event of 2025 saw a hat-trick of title bouts, as one champion retained his belt and two more inaugural champions were crowned on a great night of grappling at the UFC APEX on December 11.
Headlining the event was welterweight champion Andrew Tackett, who needed just two minutes, 21 seconds to finish Elijah Dorsey via heek hook and retain his title. But the hopes of a Tackett family double didn't quite come to fruition, as Andrew's brother William was outmatched by IBJJF No-Gi world champion Ronaldo Junior, who bossed their matchup over the full three-round duration to capture the inaugural UFC BJJ middleweight title.
Aurelie Le Vern Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 4
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Aurelie Le Vern Post-Match Interview | UFC BJJ 4
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The night's other title match offered plenty of intrigue, as Las Vegas fan-favorite Raquel Canuto faced off with French-Guiana's Aurelie Le Vern for the inaugural women's 145-pound belt.
While many inside the UFC APEX were backing Canuto, it was Le Vern who captured the title with a first-round Kimura to write her name into the record books as the first female champion in UFC BJJ history.
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Earlier that night, we got another glimpse of Bella Mir's immense potential in the same weight class, as she was taken to the scorecards by Rana Willink in a matchup that tested Mir's defensive and offensive skills under the bright lights of the UFC BJJ Bowl.
The event also saw former UFC flyweight contender Jussier Formiga switch MMA for BJJ as the 40-year-old returned to the UFC for the first time in five years to claim a unanimous decision victory over Lucas Pinheiro.
Could Formiga become a factor in the UFC BJJ bantamweight division, years after being a legitimate threat in the UFC's flyweight MMA division? Will Mir continue to progress and eventually challenge for UFC BJJ gold? And can anyone stop the dominance of welterweight Andrew Tackett? These are just three questions we'll hopefully get answers to over the coming year.
Coming up in 2026...
UFC BJJ 5 will feature the first title defense for light heavyweight champion Mason Fowler, who returns to the Bowl on February 12 looking to cement his status against an opponent to be named in due course.
With six champions standing atop their respective weight classes, UFC BJJ has established itself as a must-see attraction for combat sports fans. And, after a big year last year, 2026 is already shaping up to be even bigger.
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